Personal watercraft are steadily gaining in popularity. Along with the increased popularity of such craft, there is a rising interest in racing such craft. In racing personal watercraft, it is typical that two individuals are required, the rider, and another person to hold the watercraft in place until the start of the race. The "holder" is used to allow the racer to advance the throttle of the watercraft so he or she may quickly accelerate from the starting line. This requires considerable strength and balance from the holder, and it is very frequent that false starts occur when the holder is unable to prevent the watercraft from moving ahead of the starting line before the official race start.
Additionally, it is uncomfortable for the holder to stand in the path of the thrust. An additional problem with the two person start arrangement is the margin for human error. With two individuals involved in the racing start for each racer, the possibility for error and false starts is quite substantial.
A need has therefore developed for some form of starting apparatus that will facilitate racing starts and eliminate the need for a second person to hold the personal watercraft.